Subject: Censorship and the Freedom to Read
Client: The mission of The New York Public Library is to inspire lifelong learning, advance knowledge, and strengthen our communities. To deliver on this promise, we rely on three great resources—staff, collections, and physical and digital spaces—to provide opportunities for learning and growth to all New Yorkers.
The Big Idea:
Encountering certain content and opposing viewpoints is uncomfortable, resulting in national division. What Americans agree on is our right to freedom of speech, guaranteed by the First Amendment in the Bill of Rights. The Constitution was intended to leave room for interpretation, remaining flexible to shifting and evolving culture. The NYPL protects the freedom of information, allowing visitors to draw their own conclusions based on all content and viewpoints.
Encountering certain content and opposing viewpoints is uncomfortable, resulting in national division. What Americans agree on is our right to freedom of speech, guaranteed by the First Amendment in the Bill of Rights. The Constitution was intended to leave room for interpretation, remaining flexible to shifting and evolving culture. The NYPL protects the freedom of information, allowing visitors to draw their own conclusions based on all content and viewpoints.
Project Goals:
—Serve the visitorship and constituencies of the New York Public Library, accessible to visitors of all backgrounds and abilities. —Combat misinformation with subjects and curatorial approaches that collapse categories and present a fluidity of histories. —The stories expressed through exhibitions reflect the NYPL community at large and the strengths of its research centers. —Provide timely and relevant content interpretation of the exhibition’s topic “banned books and censorship.” —Present counternarratives and feature new scholarship that challenge conventional historical accounts. —Highlight underrepresented artists, authors, thinkers, and makers from NYPL’s collections. —Support the mission and objectives of the New York Public Library. —Align with Library strategy goals and system-wide campaigns. —Feature critical and new perspectives across fields.
—Serve the visitorship and constituencies of the New York Public Library, accessible to visitors of all backgrounds and abilities. —Combat misinformation with subjects and curatorial approaches that collapse categories and present a fluidity of histories. —The stories expressed through exhibitions reflect the NYPL community at large and the strengths of its research centers. —Provide timely and relevant content interpretation of the exhibition’s topic “banned books and censorship.” —Present counternarratives and feature new scholarship that challenge conventional historical accounts. —Highlight underrepresented artists, authors, thinkers, and makers from NYPL’s collections. —Support the mission and objectives of the New York Public Library. —Align with Library strategy goals and system-wide campaigns. —Feature critical and new perspectives across fields.
Exhibition Experience Goal:
Visualize the complex duality of tension and hope.
Visualize the complex duality of tension and hope.
Education Goal:
Freedom is a foundational element that’s impacted by both unpredictable and transformative forces (winds of change). Censorship and liberty are influenced by contrasting forces. NYPL takes a strong stance on censorship and protects the freedom to read.
Freedom is a foundational element that’s impacted by both unpredictable and transformative forces (winds of change). Censorship and liberty are influenced by contrasting forces. NYPL takes a strong stance on censorship and protects the freedom to read.